Metal railway-tie.



W. H; HIGGINS. METAL RAILWAY TIE. APPLICATION PILL D JUNE 20, 1912.

1,056,025. Patented Mar. 18, 191k new and useful Improvements in Metal of this character.

UNITED STATES rA'r-ENT OFFICE. j

WILLIAM H. HIQGINS, OF WASHINGTON, NEW JERSEY.

- METAL. RAILWAY-rm.

specificatiqn of e-th r Patent Patented Mar. 18,1913.

Application filed June 20, 1912. Serial No. 704,855.

Washington, in the' county of; W'orren and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Railway-Ties, of whichthe following is a specification,

. Thisinvention relates to improvements in metal'railway t1'es,.an d has for one of its objects to improve .theconstruotion and increase the efficiency and utility of devices Another object of the invention is to pro a m tal. railway tiecastin one piece throughout and. provided with rail-support- .ing' members of non-conductive material, to

' act as insulatorsto the rails when the tie is employed in ele tric ra lway' ine's."

Another object of the invention is to prorail-supporting blocks and preventing the tive tothe tie or the rail.

Another-object of the invention is to provide ties having means'for maintaining the same in uniform andpermanent spaced re lations. I

Another objectofthe invention is to provide a tie having rail-supporting blocks con nected thereto and held from movement in all directions relative-to the tie andnieans forlocking the blocks to the tie, and taking up slack .in event of the shrinkageof the block. I

With these and other obgects nrview, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereafter shown and described, and then specifically pointedout in ties; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the.

the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention: Figure '1 is a side elevation of one of the improved ties with a pair of rails sup ported thereon and. in transverse section; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of the improved longitudinal creeping of the tie.

lateral reduction of the tie likewise enables latter from, movement in any direction relaa reduced central connecting web portion 11, the reduced connecting portion being curved upwardly intermediate its ends as represent ed in Fig. 1, to enable a portion. of the ftamping to be disposed beneath the curved portion and thus efiect'ua'lly prevent The the tamping material to be embedded between the widened ends 10 which also asmetal, preferably teel, and comprises a base it having relatively wide end portions 10 and sists in preventing the longitudinal creep ing. The flat end portions 10 and the curved web-portion 11 are preferably ofthe same thickness and for an ordinary tie will be about 1% inches thick, but these dimensions may be varied aspreferred.

Rising from each of the widened end p01.- tions 10 are bearing standards 1213 spaced apart and'extending at a slight oblique angle to the longitudinal plane of the tie and extending partly across the portions 10 of the same as shown in Fig. 2. The

standards are arranged in pairs and one 'pairis located near each end of the tie, as

shown. The standards 1213 are likewise converged toward their upper ends, and

are coupled by an integral closing 'plate 20 at one side, as shown, "and spaced below-the upper line of the standards, and likewise spaced above the base' Bearing between each pair of the standards,-is a rail-supporting block 14: preferably of wood or like material, and bearing upon the tie between the standards, and against the closing plate. By this simple meansthe block is held from upward movement by the converging form of the standards and from movement in one direction by the plate 2Q and can be moved laterally in one direction only and at an oblique angle to the longitudinal plane of the tie, the object to be hereafter explained.

The body portions 10 of the tie are connected to the standards by-'br2icing webs l5 and the material of the tie between the braces is thickened as illustrated at 16, to increase the strength and to form additional 'bracing'lnea'ns agaii'istthe standards.

The standards are each provided with 0bliquely extending recesses 17 directed inwardly and downwardly from their upper outer corners to receive wedge blocks 21 which when driven lnto the recesses engage against the blocks 1i and are partly embedded therein a'ndthus lock the'latter, firmly devices. By constructing the blocks 14 of wood the rails are insulated from the ties which will be a necessity when the. im-

proved tie is employed in electric railway lines, as will be obvious. The rails 18 being rigidly secured to the blocks 14am at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the tie, firmly hold the blocks from movement between their standards and likewise hold the ties from lateral creeping as will be obvious. As the blocks are firmlyconnected by the bolts 19 to the rails and also firmly held from movement laterally of the ti es by the oblique and converging arrangement of the standards,- it will be' obvious that all tendency of movement between the rails and the tie and the blocks, is effectually prevented.

Formed upon the side t'aces of the brace portions 15 are small pockets or sockets 22 to support the ends of spacer bars 23, which thus serve to maintain the ties spaced permanently at uniform distances apart.

The improved device is simple in construction. can be cheaply n'ianutactured and employed in any locality where ordinary railway ties are required.

The improved device may be embedded in the tamping or ballast of the road bed, or attached to a sub-tie or base by bolts or other fastening devices, or connected to the stringers or other like portions of bridges, trestles, elevated railway supports or the like.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A railway tie comprising a base having standards rising therefron'i and arranged in pairs, said standards being ex-. tended obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the base and in parallel relations, and a railbearing block located upon the base between each pair of standards.

2. A railway tie con'iprising a base having standards rising therefrom and arranged in pairs, said standards being extended obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the base and in parallel relations, and a rail-bearing block of insulating material located upon the base between each pair of standards.

3. A railway tie comprising a base having standards rising therefrom and arran ed in pairs, said standards being extended obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the base and in parallel relations and converging toward the upper ends, and a rail bearing bloel-z lo -ated upon the base between each pair of standards.

4. railway tie comprising a base having standards rising therefrom and arranged in pairs. said standards being extended obliquely to the longitudinalaxis of the base and in parallel relations, a railbearing block located upon the base between each pair of standards, and means for locking said blocks to the standards.

A railway tie (.(lll'lPllSlIlg a base having standards rising theretrom and arranged in pairs, said standards being extended obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the base and in parallel relations, a railbearing block located uponthe base between each pair of standards, and braces between the standards and the base.

6. A railway tie comprising a base having standards rising theret'roln and arranged in pairs, said standards being extendedobliquely to the longitudinal axis of the base and in parallel relations, and with oblique key seats in their inner faces, a rail-b aring l)l()('k located upon the'base between each pair of standards, and locking keys engaging in the. keyways and bearing against the blocks.

7. A railway tie comprising a base having standards rising therefrom and arranged in pairs, near the ends and reduced. and curving upwardly intermediate the stamlards, said standards being extended obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the base and in parallel relations, and a rail-bearing block located upon the base between each pair of standards.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. HIGGINS. \Vitnesses:

Jonn Snx'rox,

W. J. MAIN. 

